ISRO, one of the bright spots of the India story, remains underutilised for the country’s defence and security

THERE has been an accelerated focus, for quite some time now, on the induction of high-end technology for use by the military. The three services have been stressing the importance of adopting niche technologies for various platforms, equipment and weapon systems. There is an endeavour to upgrade defence capabilities by the use of artificial intelligence, robotics and enhanced electronic and cyber applications.

A number of start-ups in the defence ecosystem are partnering with established technological institutions. However, the time taken for prototypes to move to assembly line production is considerable. Indigenous technological capabilities remain well short of the desired state-of-the-art systems available with the armed forces of the developed countries and alliance groupings. One major reason for this is the lack of adequate budgetary outlays for research and development, whether government-funded or in the private sector.

India has consistently sought to nurture and build strategic partnerships with powerful nations to enhance its military capabilities.

The US is the leading powerhouse in military technology. During the recent Modi-Biden meeting, sharing of defence technology and joint production were the major thrust areas. General Electric has signed an agreement with India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to jointly manufacture F414 engines, which will power the next-generation fighter jet, Tejas 2, of the Indian Air Force. India will also procure 31 MQ-9B Guardian armed drones for over $4 billion from US defence major General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. These would enhance India’s surveillance capabilities along the border with China in the Himalayan heights and in the Indian Ocean.

In a major defence deal with Germany, Indian shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding with ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems to build six advanced conventional submarines for the Indian Navy under Project-75I. The non-nuclear submarines will be built under the ‘Make in India’ initiative, which aims to reduce costly military imports. The PM’s upcoming trip to France is likely to witness the announcement of more deals on key defence platforms.

What needs to be ensured is the transfer of technology in real terms and the capacity of our defence industrial ecosystem to absorb these systems and equipment manufacturing capabilities.

Upgrading of aerial and sub-surface platforms, along with sharing of niche technologies, would prepare our armed forces for various security challenges. The requirements that need prioritisation are along our unsettled borders in the north and west, with the continuing activities and actions of our inimical neighbours being a constant concern. Intrusions across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and a hostile deployment in hazardous terrain compel a mirroring readiness, which puts Army units and formations under year-round strain. The vital issue is to outguess the adversary and not be surprised by sudden buildups and intrusions, especially in sensitive areas. This necessitates being better prepared in terms of enhanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities that can power a real-time response. The Guardian drones from the US will take time to be operationalised and are no substitute for constant satellite feed, which can well be met with indigenous capabilities. The ideal solution is dedicated satellites for the Army for communication, deep surveillance and instant feed through downlinks at field formation levels.

ISRO is one of the bright spots of the post-1947 India story. Our scientists have made remarkable progress in space research. Surprisingly, this is an asset which remains underutilised for the country’s defence and security needs. Currently, India has only two dedicated military satellites — the GSAT-7 (Rukmini) launched in 2013 and GSAT-7A (Angry Bird) launched in 2018 — that are being used by the Navy and Air Force, respectively. At long last, the Army is set to have its own top-end communication satellite, with the Ministry of Defence entering into a Rs 3,000-crore agreement with New Space India Limited.

The Army depends upon commercially available inputs from foreign satellites and dated imagery from dual-use Indian satellites. Major armies across the globe, including those of the US, China and Russia, have dedicated satellites. Considering our pressing requirements for surveillance of the enemy’s ground movements across the LAC and the availability of a top-rate organisation like ISRO, it is surprising that we have not yet achieved that. The launch of a solitary, long-overdue communication satellite for the Army is not good enough.

The Line of Control (LoC) remains live, with the main threat being infiltration of terrorists from Pakistan through the rugged terrain. The anti-infiltration obstacle system, which is now over two decades old, needs regular repairs. Such access denial systems are manpower-intensive, necessitating physical deployment for maintaining a constant vigil. Technological enhancement can make this a more effective obstacle and one that needs less manpower.

The best example to emulate is the arrangement at the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the 250-km-long border between North and South Korea along the 38th parallel. South Korea has used technology optimally to guard this border with minimum manpower, using an AI-enabled system developed by its tech companies and academia. The SGR-A1 is an autonomous sentry gun that was jointly developed by Samsung Techwin and Korea University to assist South Korean troops in the DMZ. It is widely considered as the first unit of its kind to have an integrated system that includes surveillance, tracking, firing and voice recognition. The primary goal of the project is to transform the guarding and observation mechanism into a robotic system. Many of the SGR-A1’s features resemble those of similar automated stationary weapons such as the Super aEgis II and the Israeli Sentry Tech systems. Such systems need to be deployed along the LoC after customisation.

While technology upgrade for national defence and security is an ongoing process, its immediate focus needs to be along the LoC and the LAC for warding off current threats.